Twisting and reeling mechanism for wire rope making machines



March 7, 1933. w. SOMERVILLE 1,900,309

TWISTING AND REELING MECHANISM FOR WIRE ROPE MAKING MACHINES Filed March 25, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l 3 N J2 06/??0?" 2/ 6607227 bmerqc' 65a,

March 7, 1933. w, E soMERw L E 1,900,309

TWISTING AND REELING MECHANISM FOR WIRE ROPE MAKING MACHINES jfi Ziawz Z? Q'owzeraZZa March 1933- w. E. SOMERVILLE TWISTING' AND REELING MECHANISM FOR WIRE ROPE MAKING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 25 1931 five/5% L7 gang's/-06 556,

Patented Mar. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES WILLIAM E. S'OIIIERVILLE, OF COAL CITY, ILLINOIS TWISTING AND REELING MECHANISIVL FOR WIRE ROPE MAKING MACHINES Application filed Marchf25, 1931. Serial No. 525,202.

This invention relates to improvements in wire rope or cablemaking machines in which there is provided an improved take up reel and draw off mechanism, sometimes called 5 haul off and which embodies a cradle that with respect to the speed of rotation of the cradle may be varied or controlled.

A further object is to provide an improved machine of this character in which both the reel and the cradle will rotate about horizontal axes. v

A further object is to provide improved means whereby the actuating mechanism for operating the guiding means for directing the cable or rope onto the pulley will be disposed outside of the cradle so that access may be readily had to such mechanism while the cradle is being rotated.

To the attainment of these ends and the ac-, compl-ishment of other new and useful objects' as will appear, the invention consists in the features of novelty in substantially the 0 construction, combination and arrangement of the several parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed and shown in the ac companying drawings illustrating this invention, and in which Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation,

partly broken away and with parts omitted, of a mechanism of this character constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention. 1 Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a left hand end'elevation of Figure l.

' Figure 4 is a detail sectional view taken on line 44, Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings the numeral 10 designates the supporting base mounted upon which are uprights or standards 11, supporting bearings 12. The numeral 13 designates a cradle which is of a frame like construction and is provided with trunnions 1415 at the ends thereof journaled in the bearings 12. Both of the trunnions are hollow, for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth.

Secured to the cradle 13, preferably to one of the trunnions 14, is a sprocket wheel 16, over which a sprocket chain17 passes, and this chain also passes over another sprocket wheel 18, the latter being secured to the. shaft 19 of an operating motor 20, and bymeans of which motor and connections the cradle 13 will be rotated in its bearings.

Passing loosely :through' one of the trunnions 14 is a shaft 21 which extends into the cradle and also passes through asuitable hearing 22 within the cradle. Secured to the shaft 21 outside of the cradle and preferably to the side of the bearing 12 opposite to which the sprocketwheel 16 is located, is a sleeve 23 which rotates withthe shaft, and connected to this sleeve for rotation therewith is a sprocket wheel 24. Secured also to the sleeve 23 is a brake drum 25. r

The sleeve 23 is secured to the shaft 21 in such a manner that it will rotate with the shaft but the shaft 21 may be moved lengthwise of its axis preferably throughthe medium of a suitable handle 26 while the sleeve 23 will be held against such longitudinal movement in any suitable manner, preferably by means of a bearing 27 co-operating with the bearing 12,. and which bearing 27 is arranged in a suitable bracket 28.

Arranged within the cradle 13 and loosely mounted upon the shaft 21 is a reel 29 upon which. the rope or cable30 is to be wound. This reel is held against movement in one direction with respect to the shaft 21 in any suitable manner, such as by means of a collar 31secured to the shaft 21 by means of a suitable fastening device 32. A member 33 is connected to the shaft 21 for rotation therewith adjacent the reel 29 and. this member v may be fastened by means of a suitable fastening device 34, and a key 35 may be provided between the member 23-and the shaft .21, and which key enters into a keywayor groove 36 extending longitudinally of the shaft. The fastening device 37 between the sleeve 23 and the shaft 21 alsoprojects into the keyway 36 so that when the fastening device 34 is loosened and the fastening de vice 32 also loosened, the shaft 21 may be drawn through the trunnion. bearing 14 of the cradle to strip the reel 29 from the shaft.

The reel 29 is locked for rotation with the shaft by means of a suitable locking device or pin 38 carried by the member 33 in a manner well known in this art.

Mounted upon the cradle and preferably upon a suitable supporting platform 39 provided for that purpose, is draw oif mechanism preferably comprising spaced drums 40 41, which are arranged on axes transverse to the axis of rotation of the cradle. One of the drums, to-wit: the drum 40, is positively driven, and to that end there may be provided a gear 42 secured to the drum which meshes with a gear 43 and connected to which latter gear is a gear 44 that in turn meshes with a gear 45 that is fixed against rotation preferably by being secured to the face of the bearing 12. The other drum 41 is mounted for free rotation.

The cable 30 as it is formed passes into the cradle through one of the trunnions thereof and is wound any desired number of times about the drums 40 and 41 and thence passes over a pulley 46 secured to the cradle. This pulley is fixed against bodily movement.

With the construction thus far described it will be manifest that as the cable passes off of the draw off mechanism embodying the drums 40-41, it will pass over the pulley 46 and will be wound about the reel 29 by the ro tation of the cradle 13 and as the cradle ro tates the drum 40 will also be rotated.

The reel 29 is rotated upon the shaft 21 by the winding of the rope or cable thereupon and as the diameter of the reel increases by the winding of the cable thereon or piling up of the cable upon itself the speed of ro tation of the reel will be varied. It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to utilize the rotation of the reel 29 with respect to the shaft 21 and the variation of the speed thereof as a means for reciprocating the reel with respect to the cradle and the pulley 46 so as to properly guide and direct the cable upon the reel.

To that end the sprocket 24 is provided and over this sprocket a sprocket chain 47 passes and this sprocket chain also passes over a sprocket wheel 48 on a shaft 49 of a variable speed transmission device 49. To a shaft 50 of the variable speed transmission device is connected another sprocket wheel 51 over which a sprocket chain 52 passes, and this sprocket chain also passes over another sprocket Wheel 53 to which is connected a worm 54 which meshes with a Worm gear 55, the shaft 56 of which latter is journaled in a suitable bearing. To the worm gear is connected a cam wheel 57, for rotation therewith and within the groove of the cam open ates a roller 58 which is connected with a lever 59. This lever 59 is pivotally mounted by one end as at 60, and the other end thereof is bifurcated as at 61. Projecting through the arms of the bifurcated portion are adj ustable bearing members 62 that extend into the groove of a collar 63 secured to the shaft 21 for rotation with respect thereto, so that when the member 59 is rocked about its pivot a longitudinal reciprocating movement will be imparted to the shaft 21 and with it the reel 29. It will therefore be manifest that the speed of rotation of the reel 29 will control the speed of reciprocating movement of the shaft 21, and the rotation of the shaft 21 will through the medium of the sprocket wheel 24, sprocket chain 25, variable speed transmission device, sprocket chain 52, cam 57 and member 59, cause the shaft 21 and the reel 29 to be reciprocated with respect to the cradle 13.

The variable speed transmission device 49 may be of any ordinary and well known construction, suffice it to say that there is provided an operating handle 49 adapted to adjust the device in the ordinary and well known manner so as to Vary at will the speed of operation of the shaft 21 in its reciprocating movement with respect to the'speed of rotation of the cradle 13.

The bearing members 62 are adjustable and are adapted to be retracted so that the lever 59 may be disconnected from the shaft 21 and from the collar 63 to permit the shaft 21 to be moved longitudinally by the handle 26.

A brake band 64 is provided which co -op erates with a drum 65, and the brake band may be of any ordinary and well known con struc-tion, but is preferably provided with a spring 66 for controlling the tension there- 0 After the reel 29 has been filled the reel Will be held in any manner well known in this art, and the fastening devices 32 and 34 will be loosened. The bearing members 62 on the oscillating member 59 will then be withdrawn, after which it will be manifest that the shaft 22 may be moved longitudinally by means of the handle 26 to Withdraw the shaft from the pulley 39, thereby allowing the pulley to be removed from the machine.

/Vhile the preferred form of the invention has been herein shown and described, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, within the scope of the claims, without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What is claimed as new is 1. In a wire rope making machine embodying a rotary flier, a take up reel mounted upon the flier and a draw oflt' mechanism also mounted upon the flier, said flier and take up reel being disconnected, said take up reel being rotated by the rope being wound thereupon from the draw ofl' mechanism, and means separate from the flier and responsive in its operation to the said rotation of the take'up reel for reciprocating said take up reel with respect to the flier.

2. In a wire rope making machine embodying a rotary flier, a take up reel mounted upon the flier and a draw'ofl mechanism also mounted upon the flier, said flier and take up reel being disconnected, said take up reel being rotated by the rope being wound thereupon from the draw oft mechanism,and means separate from the flier and responsive in its operation to the said rotation of the take up reel for reciprocating said take up reel with respect to the flier, the last recited means embodying variable speed transmission mechanism disposed between the take up mechanism and the said reciprocating means for varying the speed of traverse of the take up reel with respect to the flier.

3. In a wire rope making machine embodying a rotary flier, a take up reel mounted upon the flier and a draw off mechanism also mounted upon the flier, said flier and said take up reel being disconnected, tension means for normally resisting the rotation of the take up reel, said take up reel being rotated by the rope being wound thereupon from the draw off mechanism, and means separate from the flier and responsive in its operation to the said rotation of the take up reel for reciprocating said take up reel with V respect to the flier.

4. In a wire rope making machine embodying a rotary flier, a take up reel mounted upon the flier, draw ofi' mechanism also mounted upon said flier, said flier being ro tatable with respect to the take up ree1,-said take up reel being rotated by the rope being wound thereupon, an oscillatable member supported independently with respect to and outside of the flier, an operative connection between said member and said take up reel,

and outside of the flier, an operative connection between said member and said take up reel, means operating in timed relation to the rotation of said flier for oscillating said member to reciprocate said take up reel, and tension means operating upon the take up reel to cause the strand to wrap tightly thereupon.

6. In a wire rope making machine embodying a rotary flier, a take up reel mounted upon the flier, draw ofi mechanism also mountedupon said flier, said flier being rotatable with respect to the take up reel, said take up reelbeing rotated by the rope being wound thereupon, an oscillatable member supported independently with respect to and outside of the flier, an operative connection between said member and said take up reel, 

